Conor McGregor is again in the news for a disappointing development. After fans witnessed the delay of his UFC return, which was initially thought to be after the culmination of TUF 31, the recently announced press event for his UFC 303 also got canceled. It was supposed to go down in the Irish capital of Dublin, which is where Chael Sonnen chimed in to explain the tactics Dana White has been using for McGregor.

The former double champion did not shy away from sharing a few words after the blowout from the cancelation of the press conference. Conor McGregor apologized to his fans, citing certain uncontrollable factors that led to the cancellation. However, Chael Sonnen thinks there is another thing at play here, and could be related to McGregor’s UFC contract.

Chael Sonnen exposes Dana White’s clever strategy for Conor McGregor

Not too long ago, Conor Mcgregor revealed that his current UFC contract will come to an end after two more fights, including the UFC 303 clash with Michael Chandler. It came as a surprise that the Irishman, who’s the biggest star of the promotion, talked about his contractual situation openly.

“Conor did reveal for us, not only that these negotiations or talks are going on, but that he has two fights left on his contract… Conor has had a number of new contracts throughout his tenure in the UFC. They were always with one fight left. Now, the ‘two’ is irrelevant.,” Chael Sonnen stated in a YouTube video. He would also reveal that Conor McGregor had re-signed with the company on many occasions, but that only happened when he had one fight left. This could be, according to Sonnen, the reason why Dana White could be going all out with his promotional tactics to keep ‘The Notorious’ in the UFC.

“Two days later – the announcement of press conference [in] Ireland – that’s everybody’s dream… When you marry those two together, the contract renegotiation and the press conference in Ireland… it seems to me that you’ve either got a deal in principle or you’re in very good standing and showing good faith that we’re not getting out of the promoting-Conor business,” ‘The American Gangster further stated.

Having assessed the situation between Conor McGregor and Dana White, Chael Sonnen concluded that Conor McGregor understands his value in this promotion and his approach is a rather smart one. “Smart guys know this. Most do not, but Conor qualifies as a smart guy,” Sonnen added. However, the UFC CEO’s tactics didn’t work, as the event in Dublin got scrapped. Nevertheless, he understands White’s side of things and gave his take on how signing and re-signing fighters really work.

White’s attempt to block potential rivals

We’ve seen it time and time again in professional wrestling, where promotions, like the WWE, would often sign wrestlers in their attempts to stop any rival promotions from getting the better of them. Chael Sonnen claims that a similar situation is taking place in the UFC when it comes to Conor McGregor. Given how certified of a megastar he is, any promotion would love to avail his services for the skyrocketing success that the Irishman brings to the table, and Dana White may not want that to happen.

“There’s times in life when you’re better to sign somebody and never use them than to allow them to be on the free market where a potential competitor would have the opportunity,” added Chael Sonnen. Conor McGregor has refrained from talking about his contract details ever since he spilled the beans on the two fights that he has left and, as such, we can’t be sure about what’s really going on between ‘The Fighting Irish’ and the UFC.

However, the canceled press conference has been cause for concern for many. For starters, it hung fans who booked tickets and hotels for the event out to dry. In the larger picture, the proposed UFC 303 bout has also come under scrutiny. Since the bout has been announced, it should proceed as contractually agreed. Now, if this situation has nothing to do with any contract disputes, and is about a potential injury to the Irishman, the fight could be in jeopardy again.

As things stand, no one knows what went wrong, and most are pointing fingers at Conor McGregor, who allegedly called off the press conference. What could have prompted the Irishman to take such a hefty decision (assuming he did it)?

Do you agree with what Chael Sonnen had to say about Conor McGregor’s current contract status in the UFC? Drop your comments below and give your side on this issue.